With February 14 just around the corner, we’ve got love on the brain in a big way, and so does Laila Gohar, an NYC chef, food stylist, and one of my personal style muses. This Valentine’s Day, she’s all about celebrating love in ways both big and small. Her idea of the perfect celebration involves an at-home, intimate meal for two, so I’m sitting down with the artist in her Tribeca loft, which is filled with as much light as it is love, to talk all things food, romance, and the best Cartier gifts to celebrate love.
Gohar’s knack for making things beautiful becomes abundantly clear as I watch her in action. She embodies a chic yet playful vision not only when designing her own tablescapes but also when styling herself. “I’m constantly on my feet and travel a lot for work, as well as going between my home and studio, so I like to wear things that are versatile and can carry me throughout the day,” she says. “I wear my jewelry every day and never take it off.”
I love the way she mixes and matches pieces with intention—it feels luxe yet wearable. “Cartier jewelry feels timeless and classic and can be dressed up or more casual—that’s what I love about it,” Gohar says. “I remember being a little girl and discovering the LOVE bracelet. There was no way for me to afford or access it, but I really, really wanted one. Jewelry is forever, and it can be passed down, so for that reason it makes a timeless gift.”
“I worked at restaurants for a bunch of years as well as assisting artists, and over time, that evolved into what I do now,” she tells me as she arranges a rainbow of lettuces with precision. Beyond cooking and food styling, she also partnered with her sister to found Gohar World in honor of traditional crafts. “We work with different artisans, mostly in Egypt where we’re from but also across different parts of the world, to produce tablewares that feel both elegant and humorous.”
As for what’s on her Valentine’s Day table, Gohar is keeping it simple. “At home, my partner and I cook together… I love cooking simple things for the people I love: a lot of vegetables, fish, and salads. I don’t think it has to be really elaborate even though a lot of my work is very elaborate,” she admits. Of course, there’s beauty in simplicity.
As Gohar sits down to write out the evening’s menu on special Cartier stationery—which I assume she’ll later use to write her partner, Ignacio, a Valentine’s Day love letter—she tells me about their love story. “We used to be friends for many years before we got together. It was a very natural interaction, but also exciting. On the one hand, you know somebody so well, but then there’s this intimate side you get to discover. We don’t really do much when it comes to big milestones, but to me, every day is worth celebrating.”
For more dreamy Valentine’s Day gifts, discover the Cartier collections here.